Avant-garde Flashcards
Miles Davis quintet (first)
Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, etc.
Miles Davis quintet (second)
Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams
Performed very freely but not quite avant-garde jazz
Motown
a style of soul
Avant-Garde/Free Jazz
Many ways to challenge the rules/conventions of jazz:
-omitting the piano
Musicians that explicitly used their music to support the civil rights movement
Sonny Rollins
Charles Mingus
Max Roach & Abby Lincoln
John Coltrane
“The Freedom Suite”
Sonny Rollins
civil rights
“Fables of Faubas”
Charles Mingus
civil rights
“Freedom Now Suite”
Max Roach & Abby Lincoln
civil rights
“Alabama”
John Coltrane
civil rights
Avant-garde/free jazz
Rhythm: abandoned steady dance beat. now ambiguous pulse or multiple pulses at once
Harmony: serendipitous harmony
Melody: depended on soloist. could be lyrical of squeals and squawks (extended techniques for variety of sound)
Structure: often rejected blues and songs. encouraged free improvision
Instrumentation: wide variety
Presentation: not entertainment. serious, challenging, required listener’s full concentration
Politics: associated with civil rights and militant black nationalism
Ornette Coleman
Avant-garde/free
Eric Dolphy
alto sax, flute, bass clarinet
Avant-garde/free
John Coltrane
started alto, later tenor
Avant-garde/free
Archie Shepp
tenor sax
Avant-garde/free
Don Cherry
trumpet (cornet)
Avant-garde/free
Cecil Taylor
Avant-garde/free
Sun Ra
cult following
Avant-garde/free
Charles Mingus
Avant-garde/free
Art Ensemble of Chicago
Avant-garde/free
Barbara Donald
trumpet
Avant-garde/free
most powerful trumpeter in free jazz
started at age 9
“Jazz Advance”
Cecil Taylor
Avant-garde/free
“Jazz in Silhouette”
Sun Ra
Avant-garde/free
Solange Knowles
Afrofuturism
“Staying on the Watch”
Barbara Donald and Sonny Simmnons
